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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · rule · bay · coach · ground · mouse · clip · bass

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rule — a law
  4. ground — the earth
  5. clip — for paper
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mate — a friend
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rule — government
  17. clip — a video
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bass — low music
  23. clip — to cut
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com